Balaia Plaza Review

Overall Rating

Large clean apartment. Free air-conditioning. Near lovely beach.

Quite a bit away from the main strip.

We stayed at the Balaia Plaza for one week at the very end of May. The weather was lovely, not too hot. The apartments are massive. Very well laid out. Seperate proper kitchen area with large fridge/freezer, toaster, kettle, microwave, dining table, two large sofa beds, TV, bedroom separated via a wooden sliding door, bathroom with sink, bath, bidet and a brilliant shower. Huge wardrobe in bedroom which also accommodates the room safe. This can be hired from reception for 30 Euros, of which 15 Euros is a returnable deposit. The bedroom has two single beds pushed together and we found them comfortable and slept well. Pillows were a bit of a joke but you can get extra ones from reception if you are quick. On your day of arrival, if you wait until everyone has checked in and then nip down and ask for extra pillows you will likely manage to get hold of some. You can also hire a remote control for the TV for 10 Euros but with a pretty dire selection of channels, we didn't bother. The balcony was huge, with a round plastic table and four chairs. The balcony can be accessed via patio doors from the living area as well as the main bedroom. The whole place is spotless. Fresh towels left every day and the bedding was changed mid-week when we were there. The Plaza is around a 15 minute walk from the main strip but then so are many of the hotels in Albufeira. We found the walk OK and it took away the guilt of stuffing your face! Lots of bars and eating places can be found at the Strip. The Chinese was very good and the Dubliner Bar was friendly with a good atmosphere. If you really can't stomach the walk then there is a restaurant adjacent to the Plaza. The food, service and price we found to be all good.
The beach is lovely. You can reach the beach either by negotiating your way through the apartments opposite the Plaza and then climbing down the array of wooden steps. We preferred to head towards the Strip and there is a beach road down to the beach. This takes around 10-15 minutes to walk to, I think of the guilt-free food and drink! There is a really good restaurant directly on the beach. They sell everything from snacks, alcohol and full blown meals at very reasonable prices too. Service is good and there is an outside eating area if you don't want to miss any rays. The loungers on the beach can be hired for 12.50 Euros per day for two beds and a sunshade. Failing that, there is a beach shop selling mats and loungers on the way onto the beach at the carpark area.
Back at the Plaza the pool area is very good. This can be reached via a flight of stairs. The pool is fairly large with a small kiddies pool also. Plenty of loungers and a pool bar selling all the usual alcoholic beverages and snacks. A full breakfast can also be ordered here. There is also a small pool hut selling newspapers, pool toys etc., you get the idea. Note that due to the pools elevated position we found it to be fairly windy in May. This may not be the case later on in the year. The Plaza bar is large with plenty of tables and comfy chairs. The entertainment is dire, but good fun as long as you don't take it too seriously. The older girls seemed to love it! We had fun watching them. It was really nice to see them let their hair down.
All in all it was a bright, modern aparthotel, near a great beach but a bit of a hike to the main Strip. Depending on your view, this could be a good thing or a bad thing!